Frightening Britflick that plays with all expectations.

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2004)

This is definitely a film where you have to think. This is a drawback if you're expecting a brainless zombie flick, as many of the reviewers on here clearly were. In response to some of the questions people have posed in previous reviews: - London is empty because it has been evacuated, save for those who have come under siege from the Infected. There are no cars about because frankly, if nobody was coming into work, seeing the sights or going clubbing, there would be nobody in Central London (hardly anyone actually lives around Westminster these days). - Why do the zombies only come out at night? Well, they don't (see Mailer). They prefer the night because they can catch people more easily. - Why the jet fighter? It might not have come from Britain. There are British soldiers elsewhere in the world. Anyway, the movie itself. This is one of the finest examples of the post-apocalyptic genre I have ever seen. The writer, Alex Garland, is not a sci-fi man, and this works in the film's favour. Like 'Night of the Living Dead', there's relatively little gore and the focus is on the actual people. Garland and Boyle give us a world of real people, with their good and bad qualities (SPOILER: An outstanding example of this is Jim's sadistic rampage towards the end). You really care for the characters and, thanks to the death of one sympathetic character early on, you really fear for them. The film plays with your expectations throughout (SPOILERS COMING). The animal rights protestors break into a research complex with good intentions and cause the outbreak. Our heroes make it to the safety of the military complex only to discover that the soldiers are basically planning to rape Selina and Hannah and execute anyone who stands in their way. The Infected help our heroes to escape. The world has apparently ended, but then Jim sees a jet fighter that suggests Britain is alone. To those who believe the ending of the film to be overly sweet, let's not forget that so far nothing has been as it seems- the airforce might be planning to come round and gun them down as a disease hazard. And then there's the images that will have particular resonance to anyone living in Britain- London deserted, the M1 motorway traffic-free and blockaded, Manchester burning. The images are both recognisable and unrecognisable. The camerawork and lighting gives the film a feel that is closer to 'Trainspotting' (another Boyle film) than 'Dawn of the Dead', which is more effective than any big-budget sci-fi blockbuster in conveying the chilling nature of the crisis. If you want lots of gore, put a camera in a bucket of blood for two hours. This film is more than a dumb slasher flick. There are three problems with the film (aside from nitpicks). Firstly, I find it difficult to believe that any disease could be so effective in 10-20 seconds. Secondly, some of the dialogue feels a bit clunky, relying too much on speeches to explain events. Thirdly, the image of Manchester burning is only there for a couple of seconds at the top of the screen, which feels like a cop-out after the bombshell of deserted London. Overall, I'd agree that this is a thinking person's horror movie. 9/10, with a point only deducted for the above points.